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Friday, November 29, 2013

Cronuts

Ok, so by now it seems like everyone has heard of the heavenly combination of croissant and doughnut known as the cronut, but not everyone has has the chance to try one (including me). So when I found a recipe for this cronut thing I jumped at the idea of being able to make them myself! And they turned out to be just as wonderful as all of the hype made them out to be!

The cronuts are not difficult to make, but plan ahead because the dough will take about 4 hours to prepare (to allow the dough to chill and rise).

To make this delightful creation you will need:

OIL,for frying

Dough:

3/4 cup MILK, warmed

1 packet (2 & 1/4 tsp) ACTIVE DRY YEAST

1/3 cup SUGAR

2 EGGS, large

3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

3 & 1/4 cups FLOUR

1 tsp SALT

Filling:

2 sticks BUTTER, at room temperature

1/4 cup FLOUR

3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

Buttermilk Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup POWDERED SUGAR

2 Tbs BUTTERMILK

3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

Start off by mixing the warm milk and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer (or just a large bowl). Then allow the mixture to sit in the bowl for 5 minutes. Next, mix in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Once well combined, add one cup of flour and the salt. After the contents are well mixed again, slowly add in another 2 & 1/4 cups of flour.

Knead the dough for a few minutes until it is smooth and elastic. It will be pretty sticky at this point.

Form the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, mix the butter, vanilla, and remaining 1/4 cup flour until smooth.

After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, roll it out on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle that is roughly 12 inches by 18 inches. Then, using a spatula, spread the butter, flour, and vanilla mixture on top of the dough.

Next, fold it into thirds (like you would fold a letter going into an envelope). Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and lay it back on the floured surface with the open sides to the left and right. Then roll it back out into a larger rectangle (as seen in the picture below on the right).

After rolling it back out, fold it into thirds again. Fold the left third towards the middle and then the right third towards the middle (not top to bottom!). Then wrap it up in plastic wrap again and chill for another 45 minutes.

Repeat this process of rolling the dough out, folding it into thirds, and refrigerating for 45 minutes, TWO more times! (You will do this a total of FOUR times!)

By the last time, my dough started to take on a prettier, more uniform, rectangular shape. After you've finished all of the rolling, folding, and chilling, refrigerate the dough for a minimum of another hour to allow the dough to rise. You want the dough to be about 1 & 1/2 inches thick.

Then use a doughnut cutter (or in my case a glass...

...and a shot glass) to cut out the cronuts.

I made a half batch so I only got 6 cronuts, but a full batch should make about 12. Make sure to keep the cronuts refrigerated until you are ready to fry them.

Once you are ready to fry up the cronuts, heat a few inches of oil in a pot to about 350 degrees F. If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, test the oil with a piece of scrap dough to make sure it is at the right temperature (hot enough that the dough sizzles when dropped into the oil, but not so hot that it starts to burn before the inside is cooked).

Once the dough is at the right temperature, drop the cronuts into the oil and cook until they are golden brown! They should look something like this!

In a small bowl, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. Drizzle the glaze over the cronuts while are still warm!

They are best served warm and fresh! Don't they look delicous?!?!

Look at all of the flaky layers! YUM!!

On the website where I found this recipe, there was a comment suggesting that you could bake the cronuts instead of frying them. They suggested baking them at 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes. I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds like a great idea!

Cronuts

Ingredients:

OIL, for frying

Dough:

3/4 cup MILK, warmed

1 packet (2 & 1/4 tsp) ACTIVE DRY YEAST

1/3 cup SUGAR

2 EGGS, large

3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

3 & 1/4 cups FLOUR

1 tsp SALT

Filling:

2 sticks BUTTER, at room temperature

1/4 cup FLOUR

3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

Buttermilk Vanilla Glaze:

1 cup POWDERED SUGAR

2 Tbs BUTTERMILK

3 tsp VANILLA EXTRACT

Directions:

Start off by mixing the warm milk and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer (or just a large bowl). Then allow the mixture to sit in the bowl for 5 minutes.

Next, mix in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Once well combined, add one cup of flour and the salt. After the contents are well mixed again, slowly add in another 2 & 1/4 cups of flour.

Knead the dough for a few minutes until it is smooth and elastic. It will be pretty sticky at this point. Form the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, mix the butter, vanilla, and remaining 1/4 cup flour until smooth.

After the dough has chilled for 30 minutes, roll it out on a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rectangle that is roughly 12 inches by 18 inches. Then, using a spatula, spread the butter, flour, and vanilla mixture on top of the dough.

Next, fold it into thirds (like you would fold a letter going into an envelope). Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, take the dough out of the fridge and lay it back on the floured surface with the open sides to the left and right. Then roll it back out into a larger rectangle (as seen in the picture below on the right).

After rolling it back out, fold it into thirds again. Fold the left third towards the middle and then the right third towards the middle (not top to bottom!). Then wrap it up in plastic wrap again and chill for another 45 minutes.

Repeat this process of rolling the dough out, folding it into thirds, and refrigerating for 45 minutes, TWO more times! (You will do this a total of FOUR times!)

After you've finished all of the rolling, folding, and chilling, refrigerate the dough for a minimum of another hour to allow the dough to rise. You want the dough to be about 1 & 1/2 inches thick.

Then use a doughnut cutter (or in my case a glass and a shot glass) to cut out the cronuts. I made a half batch so I only got 6 cronuts, but a full batch should make about 12. Make sure to keep the cronuts refrigerated until you are ready to fry them.

Once you are ready to fry up the cronuts, heat a few inches of oil in a pot to about 350 degrees F. If you don't have a kitchen thermometer, test the oil with a piece of scrap dough to make sure it is at the right temperature (hot enough that the dough sizzles when dropped into the oil, but not so hot that it starts to burn before the inside is cooked).

Once the dough is at the right temperature, drop the cronuts into the oil and cook until they are golden brown!

In a small bowl, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. Drizzle the glaze over the cronuts while are still warm!

They are best served warm and fresh!

Side Note: On the website where I found this recipe, there was a comment suggesting that you could bake the cronuts instead of frying them. They suggested baking them at 425 degrees F for about 15 minutes. I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds like a great idea!